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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What are some limitations of perfect grammar?
(a) Some writers don't have perfect grammar and therefore cannot get published.
(b) Good grammer makes for boring writing.
(c) Lack of expressionism when grammar is perfect.
(d) Hindering points, establishing author moods, and painting word pictures.

2. What happens when a writer writes in unclear ways?
(a) Their book gets tagged as abstract literature and nobody ever reads it.
(b) Their writing doesn't make sense.
(c) They lose the interest of the reader.
(d) They don't get published.

3. How does a thesaurus help with brainstorming?
(a) Looking up a word leads to a list of related words and gives overal word choices and concepts.
(b) There are pictures of mindmaps within each thesaurus.
(c) The book provides brainstorming exercises.
(d) The book gives a list of unrelated words that weeds out the bad choices.

4. Why is consistency in verb tense so important?
(a) It is important so that verbs don't get confused with nouns.
(b) It is important for the development of characters, and to set up a plot.
(c) Very tense consistency is important so that the reader does not become lost in the timing of events.
(d) It is important for slower readers to follow along.

5. What does a Thesaurus help a writer with, besides finding alternate words?
(a) Provides easy word webs.
(b) A thesaurus is a powerful stimulant to a writer's imagination.
(c) A thesaurus can help when writing in another language.
(d) The book can help a writer become an expert in opposites.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who are two authors that Zissner admires for solid writing and ornamentation?

2. What does it convey when anyone says he can write a book if he wanted to?

3. Who is rivaling everything that Zissner is saying?

4. What is an example of a hit book that was rejected several times?

5. Should exclamation points be used in serious writing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What political period was the worst as far as bad writing?

2. Why does Zinsser avoid using journalism as a model for good writers?

3. How do you know when an article is a failure?

4. What skills does an interviewer need to possess?

5. Why are interviews so important to an article?

6. What are Zinsser's thoughts on the writing profession?

7. What do all good writers do when it comes to improving?

8. What happens to the reader when he or she reads cluttered writing?

9. What does the surgeon in Chapter 1 think about writing?

10. Why do writers have a hard time starting at the "true beginning?"

(see the answer keys)

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